It’s easy to think I should get what I want, that I’m entitled to more, that I deserve it. Either because of my hard work or my basic goodness I should receive my due—whatever that may be. But the Lord reminds me of his perspective:

It is I who by my great power and my outstretched arm have made the earth, with the men and animals that are on the earth, and I give it to whomever it seems right to me.

In other words, the earth is the Lord’s and all it contains, and he’s in charge of doling stuff out, not me (as unfortunate as that feels at times). The frustrating aspect of this is the phrase I give it to whomever it seems right to me.

I hold different perspectives on who should receive and who should not. I question the Lord on his indifference to some and his largesse towards others. What seems right to the Lord often seems wrong to me.

So I step haltingly into the realm of faith. I trust the Lord’s overarching goodness, in his plans for me and mine and for those around the world. I have to trust—what else it there? Rebellion and despair otherwise.

Even though I may not understand, trusting the Lord in all circumstances is the way to life. Choose life, we’re told, and such life is found only in the Lord, regardless of the presence or lack of all the things we think we deserve.

Jeremiah 27 in reading the Bible cover to cover in 2022

Photo by Qingbao Meng